Evil Geeks On The Road: The EMP Museum

Sorry for the lack of posts this summer, but this Lady Geek has been all over the place lately: getting some quality time in the woods with my wolves, transplanting my private evil lair to a place with more land for the hounds, and getting some well deserved R&R as I did some sight seeing around the Northwest. I went to a lot of great places, but there is one place I really want to suggest to all you geeks out there: The EMP Museum.

Weird name for a museum, right? Well it stands for Experience Music Project Museum.

And it’s seriously got something for the geek in all of us there. I was naturally blown away by the science fiction exhibit: the exhibit was set up with a placard by various display cases, each describing a different world or a different time. There would then be a second smaller sign describing the various artifact or piece of memorabilia from that place. I think there was an item from ALL of my favorite shows and movies, except sadly Firefly. But the rest were all there: Aliens, Doctor Who, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, etc. I was overwhelmed with joy. I think I started longingly in to the Dalek’s eyes for a good ten minutes.

Then there was the fantasy exhibit. This one had a great them to it: the archetypes of fantasy! I had never actually heard about this before, but it made complete sense, especially for people who like to role play. At the front of the exhibit was a large sign with all the different types of roles you might see in fantasy filled with a description of that role. Then throughout the rest of the exhibit there were various pieces of clothing or props from different stories and what fantasy archetype that character was. Seeing some original costumes from The Princess Bride was just breathtaking.

The third exhibit that I loved was the horror one. It tried to address why we like to be scared, and all the various monsters out there that help us achieve it. I think my smile spread from ear to ear as I looked at Simon Pegg’s famous top, thinking “You’ve got red on you.” I might not like ghosts, but there was more than enough Buffy and Zombie action going on in that section for me to be pleased.

There were also several exhibits that I zoomed through since they weren’t for me, but who knows, maybe gaming, Nirvana or other famous musicians are your thing.

But the last exhibit where I spent the most time was a traveling one. Star Wars And The Power Of The Costume will be there until October, so if you can check it out I highly recommend it. The original series as well as the prequels were both well represented, and the decisions behind the designs or outfits of various characters was very well explained. Even though I would take the original trilogy over the prequels in a heartbeat, I actually really enjoyed the exhibit on Amydala’s outfits, and how Natalie Portman was in and out of dozens of bizarre and uncomfortable clothing throughout the movies. And of course walking up through a staircase set up like a bar on Mos Eisley to get to the exhibit, Cantina Band in the background, didn’t hurt.

So folks, if you can make it to the Northwest, or randomly find yourself in Seattle with some extra time on your hand, I strongly recommend checking out this unique and memorable museum.

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